1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to notebooks and, more particularly, to notebooks that protect the paper therein, including the edges of the paper.
2. Description of Related Art
Notebooks used to hold sheets of paper have been numerous. In general, they have been used cover the writing area of paper to primarily protect the writings. Accordingly, covers on notebooks have typically been configured and dimensioned to match the writing area. Many notebook covers have been constructed with paper materials to add further protection to the sheets of writing paper. However, the paper materials are substantially flexible and, thus, leave the writing paper susceptible to damage, such as from impact.
In a somewhat related fashion, covers made of metal have been used to protect books. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 718,827 discloses metal covers that are affixed to a book by metal fasteners. The metal fasteners pass through the metal covers and book covers themselves. The fasteners include claws which are bent open upon the inside of the book covers. The edges of the metal covers are turned inwardly to protect the edges of the book covers. However, the manner of attaching the covers makes replacement difficult. Also, the edges of the pages of the book are left unprotected.
U.S. Pat. No. 959,284 also discloses a metallic book cover. The covers are hinged together at the spine of the book. The covers include tongue portions at the spine and which bent back to form loops. A back piece extends along the spine of the book and provides tongues bent back to form loops. With the loops, pins extend through the loops to form a hinge joint. The edges of the covers are crimped onto pieces of cardboard positioned between the covers and book. Disadvantages to this design include the fact of it being somewhat complex and, therefore not easily manufactured at a low cost. In addition, the edges of the pages of the book are left unprotected.
The metal book binding shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,831 includes a metal cover for the front book cover, another metal cover for the back book cover, and a third metal cover for the book spine. The metal cover for the spine is attached to the other metal covers by metal mesh. The metal covers for the front and back book covers are wrapped around the edges of the book covers opposite the spine. Thereby, normal hinge action of the book is left unencumbered. Yet, edges of the book covers remain unprotected, as do the edges of the pages.
A spiral bound book is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,409. Magnets and/or weights are placed inside the covers. The magnet in one cover allows such cover to be affixed to a magnetic surface while the other cover having a weight allows the book to be in an open position. While the magnets/weights provide a means to keep the book in an open position, they provide little, if any protection to the book covers or pages.
As can be seen, there is a need for a notebook that is simple in design yet provides protection to the sheets of paper therein. A notebook is needed that provides protection for more than just the writing area of pages in the notebook. Also needed is a notebook that protects the pages from impact damage and the like. A further need is for a notebook that not only generally protects the sheets of paper therein, but also specifically all of the edges of the sheets of paper.